Konjoin Temple 金乗院

Official explanation

Until the Edo period (1603–1867), monks lived and trained at 12 temple buildings at Yamadera, on the slopes of Mt. Hoju. Konjoin is one of just four that remain, and the current temple building dates to 1840. The principal image of Konjoin is the bodhisattva Jizo, guardian of children and savior of all sentient beings. The statue on the altar inside the temple depicts the deity flanked by two children. On Jizo’s left is Shoaku holding a vajra, a mythical, indestructible club symbolizing triumph over worldly desire. Shozen, on the right, holds a white lotus leaf which represents purity. Many smaller Jizo statues adorn the walls around the altar. These are the Sentai Jizo (literally “one thousand,” meaning “countless”), deities that watch over the forgotten departed, those in unknown or untended graves.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.